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Around 20,000 urbanists will gather in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next week for the 9th World Urban Forum. But WUF9’s preparations for a quadrennial report will only mark the beginning of a laborious year.
For veterans of the global urban... Read more

Rapid and unplanned urbanization has many negative consequences, especially for children and young people. Many children live in urban areas without safe spaces to play, learn, and develop. The rights of children living in cities — including the right to health, the right to education, and the right of protection against violence — are violated, often on a daily basis. City leaders and planners... Read more

20 February 2018 – UN-Habitat and Dubai Municipality are pleased to jointly announce the winners of the 2017 edition of the Dubai International Award for Best Practices. The Award recognizes outstanding initiatives that are making valuable contribution to sustainable urban development along the priority areas of the New Urban Agenda. There are a total of 10 winners in 5 categories.
Through a long... Read more

A lot of people are talking about smart cities, and a lot of people are talking about digital transformation. At a high level, there’s an important similarity between the two topics. The discussion tends to start off with a focus on technology, but success in these initiatives actually comes from re-imagining all the working parts around that technology. In terms of digital transformation, this... Read more

At the heart of every emerging economy are the dynamic cities powering their rapid development.
Across Asia, many of these enterprising cities have become home to large clusters of business services, engineering, finance and retail firms, along with strong creative industries.
From Bangalore in India to Shenzhen in China, they’re held in high regard domestically and are now turning their... Read more

When it comes to making a country, a city or an organization competitive, there’s an essential ingredient – people.
For the last six years, the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) has ranked countries and major cities on their ability to attract, develop and retain talent.
Image: GTCI
GTCI is an annual benchmarking report compiled by international business school INSEAD with The... Read more

7-13 February 2018 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The ninth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF9) took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Wednesday, 7 February, to Tuesday, 13 February 2018, on the theme “Cities 2030 – Cities For All: Implementing the New Urban Agenda.” WUF9 was the first Forum to convene since the adoption of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) at the Habitat III conference in Quito,... Read more

Cape Town is in the unenviable situation of being the first major city in the modern era to face the threat of running out of drinking water.
However, the plight of the drought-hit South African city is just one extreme example of a problem that experts have long been warning about - water scarcity.
Despite covering about 70% of the Earth's surface, water, especially drinking water, is not as... Read more

Economist Glaeser’s edX course examines benefits, potential risks of increased urbanization
After three decades studying cities, Harvard economist believes the worldwide spread of urbanization offers significant opportunities to elevate the human condition.
But in “CitiesX: The Past, Present and Future of Urban Life,” a HarvardX course that begins on Thursday, he warns that we need creative... Read more

Rapid urbanization is not only a phenomenon experienced by mega-cities, but smaller cities too, with the fastest growing urban agglomerations being cities with less than 1 million inhabitants. With rapid population growth and increasing water scarcity, cities need to decouple population growth from water consumption to ensure urban water security.
The City of Guelph is one of the fastest growing... Read more

UN Climate Change News, 15 February 2018 – The 9th World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur concluded this week with a call to use the new urban agenda as an accelerator to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and support climate action.
According to the UN, the world’s urban population is expected to grow by 2.5 billion by 2050, with over 90 per cent of this growth to take place in Africa, Asia,... Read more